Liberal Party of Utah

The Liberal Party was a social liberal political party in the Utah Territory that was active from 1870 to 1896. The party formed in 1870 to oppose the powerful Mormon LDS Church, which dominated local politics via the Mormon People's Party. The Liberal Party opposed the control of the government by organized religious groups, but its anti-Mormon stance meant that it would only have the support of non-Mormons; most of its voters were male mine workers. The party was vastly outnumbered, but it offered an opposing voice and won several local elections. In 1893, as Utah neared statehood, the party was disbanded, and its members either joined the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.